Pagliacci / Cavalleria Rusticana

The duo Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana is one of the most famous double bills in the history of opera. Pagliacci (comedians) and Cavalleria rusticana (rustic chivalry) are both classic examples of verismo operas, telling so-called realistic stories about the lives of ordinary people. Director Robert Carsen flips tradition by opening with Pagliacci. Carsen plays a masterful game of theatre-in-theatre, calling into question the nature of reality. Are the emotions we see on stage acted, or authentic? And how far do we project ourselves into the characters? Carsen’s vision eschews clichés: neither commedia dell’arte characters in this Pagliacci, nor Sicilian couleur locale in his Cavalleria Rusticana.